Not applicable.
Not applicable.
This invention relates to golf tools and, more particularly, to a tool for removing and installing spikes on golf shoes.
Traditionally, golfers wore shoes with metal spikes to improve their footing during drives and shots from fairways and the rough. But metal spikes seemed to damage the greens, and as a consequence many golf courses have banned them. Indeed, so-called soft spikes have all but replaced the traditional metal spikes. Soft spikes have threaded studs which engage threaded sockets in the soles of golf shoes and thus may be removed and replaced when the need arises. And this occurs with some frequency, because a soft spike presents a relatively soft plastic surface to the underlying turf or pavement over which a golfer walks.
Moreover, a golf shoe spike, whether it be soft or metal, has two small holes, which are offset from the axis of its threaded stud, to provide a location for engaging the spike and turning it, thus enabling one to remove or install the spike, provided a suitable tool is available. And tools having prongs designed to fit into the holes in the spikes exist, but they are usually flat and or otherwise are configured such that they are difficult to manipulate. Changing golf shoe spikes is a time-consuming procedure.
The present invention resides in a golf tool having a tubular body provided with an end wall from which axially directed projections extend, and they conform in location and thickness to the holes in a golf shoe spike, enabling the tool to be easily engaged with the spike. The tubular body is easily grasped and turned, and when turned, rotates a spike engaged with it. The body has a hollow interior which is large enough to hold several replacement spikes. The tool may include a cap that is attached to the body, although removable, and it closes the end of the cavity. The invention also resides in the tool engaged with a golf spike.